Title: Seeking Shelter
Author: Silvi (Henna)
Fandom: Btvs/Ats
Genre: Angst.
Rating: Due to the undercurrents I would have to put this at a FRM. (In the old ratings that would be R )
For further Disclaimers see part 1
Summary: Takes off where Part 2 left off.
Part 3
Penn aroused from a light sleep and he mentally kicked himself for putting himself in such a vulnerable situation. They could have been attacked! What if the humans had found them! It made him slightly green to think of all the things that could have gone wrong.
"Don't." Spike mumbled beside him, still mostly asleep, huge shadows under his eyes.
Blearily he opened his eyes and fixed his dull eyes on Penn. "Don't, what's done is done and nothing happened."
"But what if…" Penn voice tapered off as Spike shook more forcefully his head.
As a sound reach Penn ears he remembered what had woken him up.
Angel was back. He had no doubt that it wouldn't be long before he would appear at the door as he most likely had by now sensed that they were there.
Turing his head to the door Spike followed his line of sight. He could barely keep his eyes open and he refused to think what that meant.
As Penn predicted within a few minutes the door slid – flew – open revealing Angel in all his dark glory. A stake twirling in one hand his eyes were filled with irritation and anger and yet still there was a smirk on his lips which slipped right off as his sight landed on them.
There were too many emotions going though his face and too fast for Penn to read them. He was still jumpy after seeing the stake. He watched entranced as it clattered to the floor and before he could raise his eyes to his Sire's, his ears were bombarded with the extremely, unpleasantly loud sound of Angel's horrified voice. It made his ears buzz.
"OH MY GOD!"
Angel exclamation basically bounced against the walls in the hall. He stumbled forward and sunk to his knees before them. Penn gave a small bleak smile as Angel reached out a hand and suddenly froze in the air like he couldn't believe his eyes, which come to think of it was most likely the case.
The doubt Penn had had about coming to him and which had risen considerably when he had seen the stake, which flicking his eyes to the side he saw had rolled out to the hallway, were slowly beginning to fade to the background. They weren't all gone but if what he had seen so far held true, their chances were getting better by the minute.
"Surely we don't look that bad, do we?" he said returning his attention to the big figure before him. His voice seamed to snap Angel out of his shock.
"P-Penn? By all…what in Hell happened to you two?"
"Hell… funny for you to mention that." Shaking his head his eyes landed on Spike who had rested his head against his shoulder and he realized why. He was unconscious. Turning pleading eyes towards his sire he said, "Please help us."
His heart sank as he saw Angel's eyes drift to Spike and his face go through a strange transformation; it was like everything bled out of him. And for the first time it really felt like the one before him was truly a stranger. He couldn't read anything off of him. In a way that rattled him more then anything he had gone through lately. He may not have seen his sire for a century but still…he still was his sire. Wasn't he?
Before everything was ruined he pleded, "Please sire, we seek your help and protection. Do not turn us away, I beg of you. I know what he did, but please help us."
There were black spots dancing before his vision but he stubbornly held on. He couldn't help but cringe as Angel lifted his hand and for a brief moment he though he could detect rage in those fathomless eyes.
Before him was the pleading of a Childe and he hadn't gone so far to be a true monster that he could deny that. Cupping Penn's cheek in his large hand he said, "I will not turn you away, Childe. Neither of you. After all you still need to tell me who did this to ye." The last was growled out as the part of him that was Angelus bled into him. The rage of the sight of the condition both his childer were in grew to unparallel proportions. His eldest and his youngest. My God.
He may have some issues with Spike but they would be solved differently.
His answering smile to the one Penn gave him as he realized that Angel wouldn't turn them away evaporated like mist in the Sahara desert as the grey eyes of his Gem rolled up in his head and he slumped forward, unconscious.
Angel's eyes widened with alarm as he hand shot out and supported him, Spike's head slipping down to land on Penn's lap.
He was fast becoming consumed with panic until he forcedly calmed himself as that wouldn't help any of them. He needed to assert where the smell of blood was coming from and do everything to take care of the visible wounds. Not to mention feed them or it wouldn't matter what he did as they would be dust, a prospect that left his insides freezing cold.
He was not willing to lose his boys.
If that made him evil and set him back in his quest for redemption then so be it. Hoisting both of them under his arms as he was unwilling to leave any of them out in the hall he carried them inside and as gently as he could he deposited them on his bed.
He briefly left to close the door. Seeing the stake lying on the floor he picked it up and threw it into a drawer a shudder going up his spine. As he returned and finally got the full sight of their condition he realized that he wouldn't be able to do this alone. He needed help but he was more then reluctant to ask for it.
He went into the bathroom and filled a bowl with warm water and a couple of towels. Placing them on the nightstand he then placed the towels under their feet cringing at their state.
He knew that they wouldn't like him bringing anyone into this but if he didn't they wouldn't be around to complain about it.
Walking to the phone he made the phone call. After a few rings Cordy picked the phone up.
"Hello. Cordelia Chase speaking."
"Hey Cordy it's me."
"Oh hi Angel. What's up?" she asked.
"What makes you think something is up?"
"Oh come on, you don't usually call my for just a chit chat. So…spill." Realizing she was right Angel sighed.
"I need your help but you're not going to like it."
"Ooookaayy, and why?"
"It's complicated and involves…hmmm Spike." He whispered.
"EXCUSE ME! Did I hear you right, Angel? Spike!"
"Yes, Spike. He's been hurt and he's not alone. He has Penn with him…he's another one of mine."
"ANGEL! You want me to help vampires! No not Vampires but Spike! Have you forgotten what he did to you?"
"No I haven't but please Cordy, now is not the time. They are in a really bad shape." He tried to calm his seer down.
"Not the time! Spike is a killer and I assume this Penn guy is the same, what's not to stop them from chomping on me and Wes? You obviously don't care about what'll happen to us but I do!"
"That's not it Cordelia and you know it." The urge to growl at her was rather hard to ignore.
"Don't Cordelia me mister. I can't believe you're asking me this."
Taking deep breaths to calm himself and not let desperation take over, he tried to say in the most level voice he could manage, "I called you because I trust you and I need you."
Apparently he wasn't that good at hiding his emotions because she eventually quietly asked," What do you need?"
"Blood, and a lot of it. Human."
Pause.
"Ok I'll be over there soon."
"Thanks Cordy." Before he could hang up he heard her call his name, "Angel?"
"Yes?"
There was silence for a moment and then, "Don't you ever pull that thing again, not like this. It's not fair."
Guilt rose in him as heard the hitch in her voice. She was going to be mad at him for a long time, he knew it but as he thought that his eyes landed on the two figures lying on his bed.
"I owe you one Cordy." He said quietly and the gratitude he felt could not be hidden.
"That you do." And with that came the sound of her hanging up.
TBC
